With all the bigotry and cruel jokes by people who really don’t know how to deal with people outside their narrow spheres, it’s always nice to read stories like this one to remember that for every bully, every bigot, every person who engages in either behavior either alone or to impress their peers, there are many others who do the opposite. Some feel that anonymous haters are getting out of control.

Anyway, been busy finishing up another round of rewrites on one novel and starting another nonfiction book to keep me busy until a writing partner finishes his current book in between research assignments. While the outlining is a bit slow, I’ve already started searching through hundreds of photos to use.

I really like this photo taken in 1999. The woman in the center wearing the flowers on her dress is the daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., named Yolanda who passed away several years ago of a heart attack. She was dedicating a MLK, Jr. monument and pleased the mayor with a comment that it was the prettiest monument of her father ever created. She didn’t please the mayor when she mentioned her brother MLK III being arrested in civil disobedience several blocks away. She was a very nice woman, very interesting to meet and talk with about her father’s legacy.

Yolanda King

Like her mother Coretta before her, Yolanda was prepared for burial before her death in Tillman Mortuary in my city though in her mother’s case, not under the same requirements of strict confidentiality. After all the contributions she and her husband made towards civil rights in this country that wasn’t a difficult secret to keep.

Most Popular Outclick of 2013

This heads exploding icon was the most clicked link on this site the entire time, with more than a 100 clicks outs. Somebody liked it a lot.

Cartoon of the Year

This was submitted from someone calling themselves “BFF Of Course”. Not exactly true of course. I never met her, and my only interaction with her during my nearly four years in the SIM was when she tried to pick a fight with me hoping her crew would back her up. Sometimes they did, most often they ignored her but I thought it was kind of funny. But hey, these folks will lie, cheat, steal and bully over some pretty looking binary code so that’s pretty much all that needs to be said to put the award winning cartoon in its proper perspective. The cartoon originated from Kentucky/Indiana.

Quote of the Year

“I just want to make it CLEAR. Seriously Fuck her up-Brass Knuckles, bashing her head into the pavement or a hard floor etc.”

I thought this one was extra special because of the sheer silliness of it. This person had already made a comment about “F”n up a player over some range war that’s been going on between this player and some people “liked” it. I don’t know because I guess some people got off on trash talk like that. But this person apparently thought that she hadn’t made herself clear enough to her pack rats so she provided even more specific details of ho she wanted to harm another player if she ever saw her. This same player claimed not to be friends with a list of people when she posted her including those who were apparently rah rah rah about her comments in that same conversation while she was playing Switzerland in the comment section here.

I think about this comment when I realize just how lunatic type crazy people can get over pretty binary code as perhaps a cautionary statement that it’s best to remember that a game is a game. Real life is real life. It’s hard to even know what to say when seemingly intelligent people confuse the two. That’s why when people claim that my head is exploding over “losing” a fake horse race, I have to have some fun with that. No, losing a fake race is not really worth getting upset about anymore than winning a fake horse is worth really getting excited about. Now getting my first novel published, that is something worth getting excited about! Surviving home renovations is worth getting excited about! Exceeding my surgeon’s rather gloomy expectations for regaining use of one of my arms, that’s worth getting excited about!

I don’t remember much about my fake horses anymore or what races they even won or lost. I remember the very nice people including several I met at other sites (apologizing to two that I didn’t do as much as I could when they were getting bullied off the site including one hurt pretty badly by flame threads allowed to remain in the forum). Another player deeply hurt by comments in a player’s blog which was allowed to not only be linked but actively promoted on the site. It’s nice to sometimes run into people and just say that I’d wish I’d done more to make them feel welcome and that while the nasty people might have the run of the site (and the FB conversation is proof why), they’re not the only ones. I met some former game players on line in different places and it’s much nicer conversing with them elsewhere then sticking around in a cesspool with those who ran them off carte blanche.

Being a forum moderator and having moderated Chats has been very educational. Not always fun but it’s good to know that people really know that you’re fair and objective and don’t play favorites.

Runner up, was a cartoon that originated from a major corporation’s IPS in Los Angeles. It’s so nice that the equipment there is being put to great use and that the hired help are making the most of their time on the clock.

I like this photo a lot too. Shemar Moore from Criminal Minds and his mom. I met Shemar some years back while volunteering on some charity gigs. He’s really cool and nice if you ever get a chance to meet him.

Onto the weekend….

Lazy weekends are the best! After spending part of Friday night helping to clean out a porn spammer on the forum boards, I’m thinking that some folks out there need better hobbies. If not they need to find better porn. Next time porn spammers, send me a PM and if you’re going to flood the boards with porn, I can set you up with something classier.

It took two hours to clean it up and get the site back on track again, so that porn spammer won’t return for a repeat performance. Hopefully our next spammer posts something prettier like kitties and puppies! Not too many jerks and cyber bullies on the forums overall. They must have been hanging out elsewhere.

Ah yes, 2013 was filled with folks who prided themselves on bullying others usually in packs. Most likely because their own lives left them with little to take personal pride in so they took that deficiency out on other folks. Jettisoning the flotsam definitely made 2013 a happier year. Best decision I made was to say goodbye to pretty binary code and those who seem a little too invested in it and leaving all that craziness. nothing’s worth that hassle. Moderating has given me some perspective but you definitely have to grow a pair to handle it responsibly and keep your friendships off the site especially when your friends choose to behave as assholes.

Homophobia is still in fashion. But gay marriage is still alive, thriving and a boost to the local economy!

A new skill discovered this year was the Emmy reel. I had no idea that there were so many strict rules including time restrictions. But by the time I offered recommendations for my fourth reel, I could at least say this scene or those scene on this date (thanks YouTube!) so we’ll see who makes the cut as nominations are announced later this year. I think initial nominations are due in April and then Blue Ribbon Panel for the finalists in the supporting acting categories. So we’ll see if anyone makes it. It was fun…kind of..guess I’ll have to see what happens.

When is Ken not really Ken?

(answer: next blog posting…I’m still following this rumor to its conclusion)

Winter’s shaping up to be pretty warm and dry while the rest of the nation’s in deep freeze. That’s been kind of nice. It’s been a quirky year what with half the city under water in August and then a couple of heat waves and one little tiny freeze. Wish the earth would stop shaking!

The Broncos limped to a win over the Chargers and being a Broncos fan in the midst of Chargers fans was interesting. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Saints! Denver beat the Chargers!

Broncos beat the Patriots. Seahawks beat the Niners and now it’s off to the Super Bowl! First time for Denver since 1998.

This is the hidden valley in Northern California near a town called Ferndale. I remember driving with the vets I worked with as a teen. Once, helped change a tire on this road on the way to one of the local dairy forms to treat a cow down with Milk Fever. One phosphate shake and a zap and she was up and right again.

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About Butterfly Collective

I'm just an ordinary person doing ordinary things in a not so ordinary world